Royals fan from Hutchinson travels west to donate kidney to long-time friend who is a Giants fan

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Would you donate a kidney to a friend? A friend who's a San Francisco Giants fan?

A Royals fan from Hutchinson, Kansas is about to do that Wednesday morning in California. Josh Harrold is donating a kidney to his long-time buddy Kelly Van Der Berghe. She has PKD: Polycystic Kidney Disease.

FOX 4 Skyped with them from Stanford hospital Tuesday night before their transplant surgery.

"We've known each other for about 15 years, and Kelly posted a little over a year ago on Facebook that she was going on the donor list, and somehow Kelly and I both knew for whatever reason that we were going to be a match," Josh told FOX 4.

And he believes epic news should be told in an epic way, so the Royals fan talked the San Francisco Giants into letting him use their stadium to break the news to his Giants fan buddy, Kelly.

"It was crazy. I saw it and totally freaked out," she said.

Because she knows she's lucky. She only had to wait a year for a kidney, and even avoided dialysis. And Josh only asked for one favor in return.

"But then I learned I had to put on a jersey," Kelly said.

"I got her into a Royals jersey," Josh added.

"He did and I kinda feel like I jinxed the Giants whole season," she said.

They're sharing their story to remind people to please, sign up to be an organ donor. If not now, then when you die. Because after you're gone, your organs can go on to save lives.

"To me it was an easy decision I have a good friend that's struggling and needed help and I have an extra kidney and I don't need both kidneys," Josh said.
They know this will only make their friendship stronger, and who knows, maybe it will win the Royals a new fan.